Microsoft Copilot

What it does

Microsoft Copilot is a versatile AI companion designed to function as an all-in-one assistant. The app handles a wide array of user needs through a conversational interface. Users can ask complex questions, generate written content, get information about images using their camera, and interact via voice commands. Beyond reactive queries, the app also proactively curates daily news briefings and suggests topics for exploration based on user interests.

Where it shines

Copilot excels in its seamless integration of multiple input methods. The transition from typing a query at 01:19 to using voice commands at 01:47, and then leveraging the camera for a visual search at 02:38, all happens within a single, unified chat thread. This flexibility makes the tool remarkably powerful. Another highlight is the proactive home screen (03:53), which offers a 'Copilot Daily' audio briefing and curated topic cards. This transforms the app from a simple utility into an engaging content discovery platform, giving users a reason to return even without a specific question in mind.

UX highlights

Early Personalization: During onboarding, the app invites users to sample and select their preferred AI voice (00:43), immediately making the experience feel more personal.
Actionable AI Responses: Users can long-press any AI-generated text to bring up a contextual menu with tools like 'Copy' and 'Translate' (04:57), making the output instantly useful.
Streamlined Permissions: The app groups the rationale for multiple permissions on one screen (01:01) before showing system prompts, which sets clear expectations.
Multimodal Input Bar: The persistent icons for camera and microphone in the chat input bar make it clear that text is not the only way to interact.
Clean and Uncluttered UI: The interface prioritizes the conversation, keeping chrome to a minimum and focusing on the content of the chat.
Source Citations: Where applicable, the AI includes numbered citations linking to sources, which adds a layer of transparency and trust to its responses (seen at 03:14).

Monetization & growth

Monetization is handled through an optional 'Copilot Pro' subscription, which the user explores at 06:08. The upgrade screen is a soft paywall, accessible from the user's profile rather than being a mandatory gate. It clearly lists the benefits of the Pro plan, such as preferred access to the latest models and faster image generation (06:14). The offer is a 1-month free trial, followed by a $20.00/month charge. The purchase is a standard, low-friction process through the native App Store sheet (06:35).

Who it’s for

Copilot is designed for a broad audience, from students and professionals looking for a productivity boost to curious individuals who want to explore topics with an AI. Its multimodal capabilities make it useful for a variety of tasks: a writer could use it to brainstorm ideas, a shopper could use it to find a product from a photo, and anyone could use it for quick, hands-free answers via voice. The curated content feed also targets users looking for a passive way to discover new information.

Notes & opportunities

The app's reliance on a mandatory sign-in at the very start of onboarding (00:03) might create a small amount of friction for users who want to try the app before committing to an account. While the permission framing screen is efficient, the app directly triggers the system prompt for App Tracking Transparency (01:09) without a dedicated warmup screen, which could be an opportunity to better explain the value exchange to the user.